Singapore’s AI push needs a defensive shield to protect workers

Singapore’s embrace of artificial intelligence represents both opportunity and peril.

The Government’s ambitious AI thrust

, enshrined in Budget 2026 and earlier Economic Strategy Review recommendations, promises to boost productivity and transform the economy. Tax incentives, training programmes and coordinated national missions signal a determined “offensive” to capture AI’s benefits.

Yet this aggressive push forward masks a troubling blind spot: While Singapore invests heavily in helping businesses deploy AI, it offers inadequate protection for the workers – particularly middle- to upper-income professionals – who stand most exposed to AI-driven displacement and income losses.